Vernon teen to represent North Texas in D.C.

This will be her second trip to national bee

Andrea Mirasol, 13, will represent North Texas in the Scripps National Spelling Bee beginning Wednesday in Washington, D.C. This will be her second trip to the national bee; she also was regional champion in 2008.

Adam Bell/For the Times Record News

A lot has changed in the two years since Andrea Mirasol's last trip to Washington, D.C. Now a student at Vernon Middle School, the 13-year-old is growing up, more confident and poised.

What remains the same is that Andrea is headed to the nation's capital a second time as the regional spelling bee champion for North Texas and a contestant in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

"We're very excited, getting to go a second time," said Andrea in an telephone interview. "I'm hoping we get to go to the White House."

Andrea will leave for Washington next week with her parents, Billy and Amelia Mirasol. A straight-A student, she has her eye on the University of Texas and a career as a lawyer. Born in the Philippines, she and her family came to the United States when Andrea was in kindergarten.

She said she has been studying the dictionary — the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Third Edition to be exact — and building on her previous experience at the national competition.

"I think what I learned from the last time is that you have to remain calm in front of a crowd and stay focused," Andrea said, remembering how daunting it was as an 11-year-old. "Don't let the crowd get you nervous and clear your mind for your word."

Admitting that much of the 2008 National Spelling Bee seems a blur, Andrea said she can't remember the word that eliminated her from the competition in the first or second round.

She does, however, remember the word that cinched the 2010 regional championship.